You won’t make great $, why be a jazz musician?

[Hardbopjazz]

Is it solely for the art of creating music as you go, or, money isn’t everything when it comes to art? What make you want to play jazz? I know I did it because I found it hard at first, but then it became an intellectual thing as I got good at it I wanted to play harder pieces and write my own stuff.

[sal]

Why play anything else? Jazz is life.

[Sundog]

Let me give you a hint. Six letters, starts with a "C" and ends with a "S"

[JSngry]

What make you want to play jazz?

With apologies to Lee Konitz, nothing else makes sense.

Or AS much sense.

[Free For All]

Let me give you a hint.  Six letters, starts with a "C" and ends with a "S"   

Chimps? Clones? Charts? Cracks? Clamps?

King Curtis?

Billy Childs?

[JSngry]

Crisis.

[connoisseur series500]

Let me give you a hint.  Six letters, starts with a "C" and ends with a "S"   

Chimps? Clones? Charts? Cracks? Clamps?

King Curtis?

Billy Childs?

Climbs? Clocks? Choices? Circus?

[Free For All]

OK, seriously....

I felt like music "discovered" me as much as the opposite was true. It felt right from the beginning, as if I had known it before. It continues to nurture me, and I love that the process of learning and discovery never stops. As soon as you climb to the top of one mountain, you see another higher peak that becomes your next goal. I'm not getting rich, but I'm doing something I love (with people I love to hang and play with) and I wouldn't trade that for anything. That's where the "wealth" is.

That's really why I do some other things (like writing and teaching) to pay the bulk of the bills. I can't play too many TUX/BUX/SUX gigs without starting to get bored with myself. I love playing too much to play a lot of crappy gigs.

It's really too bad that the quality of the gig and the money paid out are most often in, what is the term............."inverse proportion"?

I'm in the middle of a good stretch right now- it's jazz festival season and I'm doing a lot of guesting with big bands and small groups. The quality of the various groups may flucuate, but at least I'm in a situation where I get to call the shots, to a point ( like choosing the music, using my own charts etc.). And it's nice to play for an audience that is (for the most part) paying attention. So the money thing is OK right now, but it will return to the "norm" eventually- dealing with the "seasonal" aspect of the biz is part of the Zen of being a freelancer.

Edited April 8, 2004 by Free For All

[Brandon Burke]

What make you want to play jazz?

With apologies to Lee Konitz, nothing else makes sense.

Or AS much sense.

I like that.

[casanovas347]

....ok, i'm not a real jazz musician (going from blues into bop and back... )

but, first of all...i really enjoy playin' .....i love it, if i had to play music just for making $$ i would kill myself....i wanna be myself....wanna go on a safari when i play...discovering things in the moment i play them.....and of corse sharing love trough music (if somebody listen )

with saying Jazz i mean discovering music by listen.....with saying Popmusic i mean listen music by discovering...

greeetz

paco

[7/4]

Hey Paco,

I kNOw you from anotheR board. Ha! small world.

I'm not a Jazz musican, even though my music involves a degree of improv. It's taken a few years, but sometimes I make money. I couldn't do it just for the money either.

Good thing I have a day job.

Edited April 12, 2004 by 7/4

[casanovas347]

@ 7/4 ....i know! (we talkin about Wayne Krantz....i could remember! )

greeetz

paco